The Rules Just Don’t Apply to Senator Tim Bee

Tim Bee is demonstrating to Arizona voters a pattern of ignoring or breaking the rules to get the results he wants. If he wants to demonstrate that he’s a good acolyte of the Bush League of Republican politics, he’s doing a fine job. Given that he has to sneak around behind closed doors to do his fund-raising with Bush Administration officials and cronies, however, I don’t think that’s the reputation he seeks.

First, Bee ignored the laws of Arizona that say he has to resign to run for Congress. Instead, he just filed as a candidate with the Federal Elections Commission while denying to the voters and Arizona officials that he was in the race.

Then Bee bent the rules regarding campaign ads to get some free spots out of funds for our children’s education. He denies any involvement with ads made on the tax-payer’s dime and lacking the proper attribution required by federal law, of course, but what else would he do? Admit to breaking the law knowingly and willfully?

It seems that if Tim doesn’t like a rule, or it stands in the way of his goal, he just ignores, bends, breaks, or ‘re-interprets’ the rule in his own way.

Now, Tim had demonstrated that even the rules of the Arizona legislative body in which he serves are not going to stand in his way. He recently ignored legislative rules to gavel to a close a session of the legislature that was not going the way he liked. Steve Farley, State Rep. for LD 28 has the story in his most recent Farleygram:

"UPDATE after resumption of COW: President Tim Bee (R-Green Valley)
finally called the Senate to order at 7:15pm after their afternoon
jaunt with the other President, and Sen. Verschoor opened it up with a
motion to adjourn. As one of only three Republicans on the floor along
with 10 of the 13 Democrats, the Aye votes were sparse, but President
Bee called it for the Ayes until a Division was called, forcing a
headcount. The motion lost, 3-10, and the Senate remained in session.

Pres. Bee said there was not a quorum, so he said the only motion in
order was to adjourn. Much discussion ensued among all parties and
rules attorneys and staff. I personally witnessed at least one
Republican Senator enter the building just before the session started
but who did not go onto the floor–there was a clear attempt by
Republican leadership to keep their members off the floor and deny a
quorum. Senator Gorman didn’t even show up to offer her verbal
amendment–the pretext for the motion to suspend the COW in the first
place.

Officially, were were still in COW, so the Democrats attempted to move
to re-enter COW, but Bee responded by calling for an electronic roll
call vote to establish whether a quorum was present. The count remained
at 13, with 16 necessary for a quorum, but Sen. Cheuvront pointed out
that a quorum was also necessary for a motion to adjourn. Sen.
Burton-Cahill refused to push her button as present until being allowed
to speak, but Bee refused to allow her to speak and instead called for
a manual roll call in which each name was called.

At the conclusion of that call, Minority Leader Jorge Luis Garcia
(D-Tucson) stood to make a motion to issue a Call to the Senate which
would have required that DPS officials track down Senators and bring
them to the floor until we had a quorum. Instead of recognizing him to
speak, Senator Bee looked right at him, gaveled the Senate adjourned
for lack of quorum, and left the chamber at 7:40.

This was pretty astonishing to witness, as it was completely illegal to
do that, even as Senate President. Mr. Bee did not seem to care. Senate
staffers confirmed they had not seen such a brazen disregard for Senate
rules, and for basic rules of democratic process. President Tim Bee,
faced with a legitimate outcome he didn’t like, gaveled shut public
debate without a fair vote on a bill that is supported by 87% of
Arizonans. And he did so without any rules on his side, just arbitrary
power.

The issue is certainly not over. It is unclear how these breaches of
the rules by the Senate President will be resolved, and when the COW
will be re-started. Rules were clear that the COW needed to be started
again before adjournment, and this adjournment was illegal. Will the
Senate leadership simply use this maneuver to quash any debate on any
bill they don’t like if the majority of their body seem to support it?
Will the COW start again tomorrow? If they are willing to go this far
to stop a bill with this much support, what will happen when we finally
have a budget proposal on the floor?

I’m afraid I don’t have any answers tonight, just some eyes opened a
little wider than they were before. I’ll let you know what happens in
my next report."

We all have lapses in judgment. We call get frustrated and tempted to take a short-cut now and then. If this were an isolated incident, it might be written off as uncharacteristic instance of such a lapse. But the longer Bee spends in the full light of public scrutiny, the more it becomes apparent that, at least in Senator Bee’s mind, the rules just don’t apply to him.